Rise of the Guardians
by CommanderKitten
Summary: When the galaxy is at war, and innocents are taken, only some are strong enough to defend their existence. Watch as crew fight with their cunning leader, and attempt to save the day. Under MAJOR construction.
1. The Thieving Leader

A steady tap of her foot was all that stopped her from going insane. Blue eyes scanned the room for something to do, or take. Her mouth turned into a scowl, as she again mentally scolded herself. How she was so easily captured, it put a stain on her perfect record. But then again, it was the perfect job they set up. With the whole disappearing colonies thing, the thief had hardly any time to practice her trade. A large sigh escaped her lips, and she checked her nails, making sure none were chipped or were actually Collector spawns.

_You can never be sure these days._

A loud and deliberate cough bought her out of her thoughts, and she smiled wickedly at the Salarian standing at the door of her cell.

"It's about time I got some company. I was getting so lonely..."

"Please, your flirting won't work on me. The captain wants to see you." He stated, and quickly took hold of her hands cuffs.

"I didn't realise you people like this kind of stuff." When he shot her a confused look, she elaborated. "I mean with the hand cuffs and all, I kind of like it... Kish." She smirked at his surprised face but continued walking.

"How do you know my name, human?"

"Release me, and I'll let you know."

"I'm not stupid."

"You keep telling yourself that, because it's on your uniform." He growled in her direction, and she simply blew him a kiss. They walked down the same corridor for about five minutes; every now and then the prisoner would wave at a staring onlooker. Her hips swayed from side to side, and she winked at all the soldiers looking at her, even the females.

"Would you stop that?" Kish spat, turning towards a less occupied area. He tapped on his Omni-tool, and then stood waiting while they were de-contaminated.

"Stop what?" A worried look crossed her face, but he knew it was an act. When the metal door slid open, a puffed looking human waited for them. "Hello sweet thing." The prisoner purred, fluttering her eyelashes.

"H-hello... Kish, captain wants to see you, ASAP! I wouldn't keep him waiting!" And with that he nodded, and ran away. Everyone in the lower part of the station was rushing around, most on calls or yelling out orders. They continued walking in a forward direction, hardly any paying attention to the Human and Salarian.

"Retreat Echo team and send in Fox! I want those injured pulled out of there!" A man practically screamed into his Omni-tool. He turned and saw the woman with a raised eyebrow and stubborn look on her face. "Release her." Kish did so, and then moved out of the way, placing his three digit hand on his side arm. "Commander Smith was looking for you Kish, go find him."

"Bye kitten, don't forget about me." She now winked at him, and Kish saluted and made his way out of the room.

"I would appreciate if you left my people alone, Miss Winter. Your presence distracts them." The captain sighed and rubbed his temple, trying to relieve the stress of the day. "They have enough to worry about then a thief on the ship."

"Then release me, and then no worry will be on your crew." Winter was tired, and wanted to go home to her hidden and secluded house.

_Maybe I'll have a hot bath, or eat some chocolate._

"I lost two of my top squads today. I welcome you not to be a smart ass."

"Obviously they weren't that good then." The captain turned and gritted his teeth, his aura burning with rage.

"My son was one of those people, you ice queen." His spat, and she did nothing but tisk.

"A good captain stays cool, even under fire. You let your emotions get to you."

"And that's a bad thing? At least I have emotions." He retorted, glaring daggers at her.

"Maybe, maybe not. But it's how I've survived all these years." They watched each other closely, nether breaking eye contact. Winters looked over the Captain, scanning his face like a machine would. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black, but the way he watched her, like a parent would secretly watch their child. She thought about his son, what he might have looked like if he inherited his father's looks. His hair looked as though it had been shaved recently, so she couldn't quiet give it a colour. No facial hair was poking out, and no tattoos were visible. He was an ordinary person who just happened to be a Captain in the Alliance Navy. After a while, she sighed and turned her back to him, looking out the window that was place conveniently next to his desk. There was no dirt or grass or even water visible, only a black canvas filled with little stars. "What do you want from me Captain?"

"Nothing. It's what I **need** from you. What the galaxy needs from you." She scoffed and turned to face him. He looked as though he actually believed in his statement.

"I don't recall stealing anything from the Alliance." He raised his eyebrows at her, and she quickly clarified. "Recently, that is." He smiled, and she did too. She always tried to make people smile, even if it wasn't the best time for jokes. He returned to his desk and sat, offering her the seat opposite of him. She declined and remained standing next to the window. "Well, since you oh so much about me, what's your name Captain?"

"James." He scratched his stubbled cheek, and then turned his back to look at a large monitor. It displayed the current location of his and others squads, from N7 groups to just plain old soldiers. "Not my first name, but too bad." She raised a brow at him but ignored him anyway. The screen grabbed her attention also, showing officers from the Alliance scanning what looked to be an abandoned colony.

"What are they doing? That settlement looks deserted." He nodded his head, and turned his gaze to her. It was remorseful, but furious as well.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. This new threat, it's brought nothing but pain and hurt to humans. From male to female, adults to babies, they disappear without a trace, and if we have any chance of discovering the enemy here, or finding those missing, we need the best of the best." Determination clouded his eyes as he turned and looked at Miss Winter. "We need you."

"Wait, wait, wait! Need me for what?" The look he gave her made her want to simply refuse whatever he was talking about straight away. But when he pointed to the screen that now had a blank line in front of the word _**Division**_, something clicked. "Oh, no, no, no, no!" Was he glaring at her or attempting the puppy eyes. "**No!**"

"It's either that, or you stay in prison." She buried her face in her hands then desperately looked at the floor, hoping a knight in shining armour would burst out of the floor and galloped away with her on his trusty steed.

"First of all, what squad would I be joining?"

"That's the best bit. You're not joining one, you're making one."

_Oh, it gets better and better, doesn't it? Well there goes my hot bath..._

"Not that I'm questioning my abilities, but I don't think I could lead a squad, not again anyway." She tried to stare him down, but him seemed too happy and smug to take her all the seriously.

"Nonsense! I've seen you in battle before, and I know about your past with Cerberus. I can get you a full squad in less than a week." With a questioning look, she turned and faced the screen that was now blank. A long and deliberate sign was pushed out of her throat.

"Does everyone know about me and Cerberus?" Silence followed, which answered her question, but she continued on. "If you do, then you must know that they are still trying to **kill** me and what not."

"Of course I know, everyone in the galaxy knows you, and the fact that more than half of those people are trying to kill you is impressive." A frown pulled at her features, but in a sudden courageous outburst, she mockingly swooned and placed a hand over her heart.

"Oh dear, sweet Captain, you must think me such a tyrant! But alas, I am just a dear maiden hoping to find true love!" He burst out laughing, and she simply frowned again.

"You should be in a theatre..." The conversation went silent then, and it seemed that James was giving her time to think. Be the leader of this apparent squad, or stay behind bars. Her mind started to betray her, as did her heart.

_Maybe it's time to start again. I wasn't so bad last time... Besides the whole murdering thing._

Something, or in fact, someone swam around in her memory like a pathetic bug that she desired to squish. _Damn..._ Her brain simply ran around in circles for a bit, until she got frustrated.

"Fine! I'll make a stupid little squad or whatever. But if I so much as hear a whisper of the word ma'am from **any **of these people, I'll ring that fat neck of yours." And with that he smiled and extended his hand. Her pride demanded that she simply smack that smug face of his and walk away, but she physically forced herself to shake it.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Winter. I will have Kish escort your temporary room." The Salarian in question marched into the room some minutes later, and pulled out some hand cuffs. His attempt of cuffing her failed when the Captain placed hand in front of him and explained. "She's with us now." He groaned, and she suspected it wasn't in pleasure. With a quick, but questioning salute, Kish exited the way he entered.

"Don't sound so excited, Kish! Anyone would think you hated the idea of me slowly rising to outrank you." She didn't miss his silent growl, but she decided not to bother with him anymore. They walked in silence and she kept herself from flirting or eyeing anyone. They all seemed too busy to notice the two anyway. "So, how did you end up here?" He seemed surprised with her question, but simply shrugged.

"None of your business."

"Oh, so you're going to be like that are you? Fine, two can play at that game." And so two could, as both stayed silent for the rest of the four minutes it took to walk Winter to her 'temporary' room. She was incredibly thankful that it was temporary, because it was small. And she didn't exaggerate, not all the times anyway. The room look like it was two by two meters, and it only had a single bed in it. "So what, this used to be the old broom cupboard or something?" Kish smirked and started to walk away.

"Bathroom is four doors to your right. If you need anything else, don't find me."

"Arsehole!" With her accent, the word sounded a lot more vulgar. He ignored her and rounded a corner, leaving her with her thoughts. Again. With a defeated sigh, she moved towards the bed and plopped down onto it, struggling to find a comfortable position. After a minute or two of squirming about, she lay on her stomach and fell into a restless sleep.


	2. Love Returned

"Again, do it again!" A voice yelled through communications, almost bursting her eardrum. Her eyes rolled, but she reloaded the Mantis and fired, effectively shooting her paper target in the head. There wasn't a head left after she'd shot it, and the neck seemed to have disappeared too.

"Happy mother?" She smiled sarcastically, shifting on her two feet to get new orders. She hated taking orders.

"Hardly, but it will do. Go to the meetings room, and you'll get some new orders." With that, the voice dropped out, effectively, but rudely ending the conversation. Commander Jonathan Smith was currently running her ragged, forcing her to remember every nook are cranny of the station and was now forcing her to perform dull and boring exercises so he can 'evaluate' her level of skill.

_I'll evaluate his head then shove it up his-_

"Quit daydreaming Winters! You've got your orders, so hurry up!"

'Arsehole, his head is so far up his arse he can't even see this blinding artificial light.' Winter grumbled, deciding to climb through ventilation instead of walking like a normal, educated and proper person. She mentally slapped herself for acting like a baby as she gripped the vent grate and pulled it off with some difficulty. Strength wasn't one of her virtues, and nether was being ordered. Accuracy and stealth were her main suit. As quickly as possible, she jumped up and out of the security cameras view, hoping no one realised she was sneaking about. The vent was a little tight, but she put the grate back on and checked which direction she was facing, sensing the place wasn't that far away. Her memories floated back to one mission where she was in a similar position, but back then; she had half an army chasing her down, and even less room to mauver. But at least back then she didn't take orders, and she escaped in the end, with only a shot leg and black eye. Focusing on the present, she moved on her hands and knees, being as silent possible as she crawled above labs and training rooms. She noticed that everyone was busy, not ever sparing a glace around their rooms. She shook her head at this; think of all the people lost to armature mistakes like that. Suddenly she met an intersection and wished she'd been normal for once. Loud voices can from her right, and so she once again took a chance.

"Where is she? She should be her by now!" Her 'commanding officer' yelled, making all the poor sods in the room jump and scurry away.

"Relax mate," The metal grate gave way to the force of her kick, and she effortlessly jumped to the ground. "If I wanted to run, I would be half way across the galaxy by now."

"Jesus woman! Give me a heart attack next time!" The officer grumbled, and then mumbled something along the lines of 'I'm too old for this.'

"Is that a challenge?" She smiled, showing off her pearly white teeth. Commander Smith narrowed his eyes at her, and continued to yell orders at the cowering people. "Gez, lower your voice. I'm pretty sure you could send an army deaf."

"Quiet thief, I didn't ask for your opinion. Now go get some proper armour and meet me at the shuttle deck. We're going to see how good you really are." Once again, he shouted to a man to grab the data pad in his hand, and then stomped off somewhere.

_Bloody hell, someone's got a stick up their arse._

With quick steps, she made her way in the direction she was pointed. Her boots slapped the ground as she walked, earning herself a few glances or stares. Sighing, she quickened her pace and made it to the small room in less than two minutes. It was deserted; only an air conditioner could be heard. Winter relaxed and took some more steps inside, looking around until her eyes landed on a case with two familiar names engraved into it.

_'Crystal Winter'_

One eyebrow rose, and she walked to the metal crate, unhitching the locks and lifting the lid. Her eyes lit up, as inside sat her old suit and Omni-tool, along with her precious Widow, in which she had completely modified herself. She gasped happily, as her brushed some invisible dust off the weapon.

"Hello Kitten, did you miss your mummy?" She gently lifted the gun, feeling its weight and gripping it like she normally did. It fitted her like a glove, and she laughed blissfully. "Mummy missed you." She pulled the heavy weapon close to her, hugging it like one would a living thing, but then stopped completely when she heard footsteps behind her. In the door stood a Drell, to her surprise, with an interested look on his face.

"You talk to your gun?" He asked curiously, walking into the room and stopped in front of a case similar to hers, but _'Shalnq Xolt'_ was engraved into it. She made a sound similar to a humph, and turned to look at the Drell again. He seemed buggered, with tired eyes and his hands shook as he lifted the lid of his case.

"Of course. How else would she know that she's loved? Wait, don't answer that… So, do you talk to any of your guns Mr Xolt?" Her eyes fell to his backside, which unfortunately to her, was not visible because of his jacket. That made her smile disappear for a few seconds, and she looked like a cat that lost a mouse. He only shrugged as he placed his gun away, along with a visor that she didn't notice. His scales were more on the blue side and with a few black marks.

_Not the talkative type I take it._

"Well, I got to run. Hopefully I'll see you later pumpkin." At his new nickname she gave him, he turned to look at her. One of his eyebrow ridges was raised, but he replied with a curt good-bye. She grabbed her suit and carried it to a shower stall, and changed as quickly as possible. The main body piece hugged her tightly, giving her the feeling of a second skin, only this skin could deflected bullets and had a kinetic barrier. Though the main colour was white, it was surprisingly clean and well kept. Her black-heeled boots slipped on and she kicked the heel on the ground, making sure they were on properly. A silent sigh breezed out of her mouth, as she combed her hair messily with her fingers. Walking back to the main room of the armoury, she noticed that the Drell was gone, and his case locked.

_Aw, but he was so yummy to look at._

A smirk graced her lips as she turned back to her case, pulling out her Widow and placing it on her back. Next, she strapped on her Omni-tool and activated it, watching as it glowed to life and filled with information. With almost all her equipment in check, she grabbed her blonde hair and tied it into a bun that sat tightly on her head, and then pulled on her old Mnemonic Visor, which of course she had customised. Finally, she closed the lid of her case and left the room, making her way to the armoury.

"About time. What, did you have to touch up your make up or something? And I thought I told you to get proper armour." Commander Smith crossed his arms and tried to stare down Crystal, in which she smiled and grabbed her hip. She noticed that he didn't really look angry at all... Suddenly something in her brain ticked, and she smiled even more. He was attempting to push her, make her angry, or upset. She decided to play along.

"What's the matter Smith? Menstruating or something?" She laughed as his face turned red with rage, but he quickly composed himself.

"It's Commander Smith, woman, so shut your mouth and listen. Your job is to grab some Intel that was stored in an off world warehouse. We lost control of it to The Blue Suns, and that intel is vital may help us with these disappearances. So get in there, and don't die. Actually, just get the Intel, and then die if you want. I don't really care." He eyed her, and then walked towards some humans who stood and watched. They seemed shocked in the way she talked to their commanding officer. She entered the shuttle with small steps and sat, getting comfortable and leaning her head to the side to watch out the window. The engine of the shuttle roared to life, but then quickly quieted down; leaving her in a silence she didn't really want. She felt the shuttle lift off the station, and then watched as her prison quickly disappeared into the distance. The pilot was quiet, and after five minutes she was bored.

"So, where are we going, exactly?" She was about to ask again, thinking he didn't hear her until he just shrugged.

"That information is not to be given to you. Sorry Miss." A cocky tone was in his voice, and she felt like slapping him silly right there and then. Instead, she sighed and decided that staring out the window would be entertaining enough right now. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and she had to refrain herself from unlatching the door and jumping out. Sure, stars were beautiful and she was privileged to be able to see them, even if it was day time, but after hours of staring at them, it lost its warrantee. She missed Earth, and she missed stealing from rich snobs who thought themselves about everyone that they wouldn't even notice what they were missing. But she didn't always steal for the fun of it, or for the money. Some things were stolen as a personal gain, like when she managed to steal Van Gough 'The Scream', and Leonardo di'Vinch's 'The Last Supper'. In fact, a lot of items she stole for herself were artworks or things old, vintage. She remembered a time when she took a famous and every old Asari artwork. They weren't happy at all, and she had to stay hidden for month, but in the end, it was worth it to her, so she placed it with her other catches. Reminiscing about the past seemed to distract her, and after about an hour, the pilot turned and informed her of their position, confirming they were about two clicks away. Kitten sat confidently in her gloved hands, and Crystal cleaned the scope and checked the nooks and crannies to ensure they were clean. They slowed completely, and simply hovered for a bit whilst the pilot typed furiously. The shuttle door opened and revealed a depressing site. A row of hundreds of burning warehouses greeted her, with black smoke burning her nose and eyes.

"Jump..." She tightened her grip on Kitten, and got closer to the shuttle's open side. It edged closer and closer to a flat expansion of cement, until the shuttle hovered about it. "Now." With a steady foot, she pushed herself out, and sailed through the air for a second. She bent her knees as she landed, and stood up straight, inspecting the area. "Miss Winter, we believe that this is the last known coordinated of the data. Uploading them now." Her Omni-tool beeped, and her visor pulled up a map and pointed her in the suspected direction. Rounding a corner, she heard the conversation of two people, both obviously men.

"I've got two unknown males ahead. Thoughts?" Her voice was a whisper, and she sat waiting for a reply.

"If human, eliminate. If not, then we have a problem." The pilot murmured, but Crystal ignored him as she peeked around the corner. It indeed was two humans, wearing Blue Suns armour, and she decided to go with the element of surprise. Her Widow folded up and she slipped it on her back, quietly cloaking herself and tiptoeing behind them.

"Did you head that?" One of the troops quickly turned his head, looking for nothing in particular.

"Maybe it's just the sound of you being an idiot." The other retorted, but before he had time to laugh at his own joke, a knife protruded out of his throat. He fell limp, and the knife was pulled from his neck, killing him instantly. His body fell to the floor, and his friend sighed in frustration.

"Stop being an asshole and get up." He looked down at his friend and kicked his leg. "It's not funny-" Once again, he kicked him, but this time a little more urgently. He noticed the small pool of blood that was forming, but before he could call for help, two hands grabbed his head and twisted, snapping his neck.

"Tangos down". She whispered, and continued on her way. At last, a small closed off room came into view, and she sneaked in with little difficulty. Her Omni-tool lit up as she scanned the consol and started hacking it, turning off the alarms as she went. It took but a minute for her to gain access to the files, and she uploaded them straight away. "I've got what we need." She declared, walking back to the LZ. She noticed that no one had yet noticed she was in there systems, so she decided to poke around. Why were Blue Sons here in the first place, she had no idea, but what did they want with this data, she wondered. Unfortunately for her, she'd already sent it to the pilot, but she poked around anyway. She pulled out everything or anything, looking for something. She hated being left in the dark, and that's probably what made her a good leader. Finally, files popped up, revealing that these apparent 'abandoned' warehouses was home to humans hiding from the recent abduction. Exactly two thousand were living here, but now it seemed they were killed, or managed to leave without being spotted. Anger filled her mind, but she pushed it away, making sure to vent it out later.

Time seemed to slip her mind while she searched for information that seemed to have disappeared. So she jumped in surprise when the pilot suddenly yelled out.

"Watch out, you've got hostiles incoming!"

_Great, I can't wait._

With quick fingers, she wiped the main frame and decided a grenade would also plunder their attempts at gaining the information she also wanted. She placed a timer on the bomb and then left it, hoping it would take out some unaware troops. With that down, she skidded around a corner and noticed a large set of stairs with a long catwalk. Quickly cloaking, she took two steps at a time and unfolded her rifle, simply running for dear life to the higher advantage point. Five troopers rushed out with their guns draw, looking around for a target. Five turned to four as one's head exploded, and the remainder opened fire on when the bullet had come from. Her hands wrapped around a small metal ball, and with a push of a button, she sent it sailing to the closest enemy. It stuck to his chest, and in he and his squadron's last few moments, he clawed trying to get it off. Only one managed to roll out of the way, noticing the panicked look of his comrades face, but with that, his victory was very short lived as his head too combusted. Jumping from her elevated point, she rolled so her legs didn't take the shock of the fall, and she sprinted down the hall and cloaked once again. The Blue Sun's troops called out to one another attempting to spot and shoot the invisible force that had embarrassingly infiltrated their security. She tried to ignore their calls for her blood to be spilled, and continued running to the LZ.

"I'm at the landing zone Miss, waiting for you." The pilot announced, and she quickened her pace to a sprint.

"I'm almost there, but I've got a whole lot of people looking for me! So get ready." The shuttle came in to sight and she pushed herself, noticing that her cloak had faded. Bullets flew past her head and hit crates or continued their way into space. With her hands forward, she started flipping through the air, with her hands and feet barely touching the ground. This (she hoped) made her harder to hit, but it ultimately slowed her down. On the final flip, she kicked the ground hard, and sailed in the air. Time seemed to slow as she squeezed herself into a tight ball, and landed in the shuttle with a _thump_. Her bum took the impact as she landed on it, and she moaned in pain, rubbing where her tail bone would be.

"Kinetic barriers forty percent, we're getting out of here." The shuttle groaned and started its take off, but not before a missile smacked into the hull, making the barriers fell completely. "Kinetic barriers are down, we're not going to-" The pilot's cries were silenced as a bullet pierced his skull, and Crystal quickly took control, trying not to be sick at the man's now wide eyes. The shuttle shook to the side as it continued to take fire, but eventually, it stopped as it flew out of range. She grabbed a breather mask out of the emergence lock before she suffocated, and continued to fly back to the station. She had no clue where that was, but the shuttle did.

_Topped by a machine. Awesome._

Suddenly, she realised the dead man wasn't going to call himself in and let everyone know he carked it.

"Smith, the pilot is dead and the shuttle damaged. I'll be back as quickly as possible." And with that, she looked at the body and picked the man up, placing him in one of the passenger seats. The hole at the front of the shuttle sucked out the oxygen and left the vehicle lifeless. She buried her face into her hands.

_I'm so screwed._


	3. The New Job

Her blues eyes lazily looked at a dulling star, it's barely shining light making her sigh and check her location. The shuttle's VI pleasantly told her they had thirty-three point five minutes to go until they arrived at their desired destination. Crystal sighed, as she picked at the passenger's seat, not really wanting to sit in the pilot's as blood now floated about the front of the shuttle. Luckily, she'd managed to tie the pilot's body down so it didn't float about. Another sigh escaped her as she shuffled on the seat and sat up straighter, listening as her joints cracked and groaned in protest. The air she breathed was stale now, making her churn slightly. Her head gently lulled back, finding the head rest with ease. Captain James would likely be disappointed in her efforts already, maybe even release her. Or kill her, but she ignored that option. Commander Smith probably wants her taken out and beat to death, but so did a lot of people in the galaxy. Her eyes closed softly and her past resurfaced behind her lids and for the remainder of the trip, she reminisced.

As the shuttle's door slid open, Crystal looked out to see Commander Smith and Captain James awaiting her arrival, along with several other people she didn't recognize.

Can't wait to see how this turns out.

As her boots touch the solid metal panels of the station, Smith pointed an accusing finger in her direction. Again, his face was bright red and accusing, hurting her more than she thought.

"Miss Winter, I knew you would find some way to ruin the mission. That pilot was our damn best and-"

"And his death wasn't my fault, so go to hell Smith. I got your data if that means anything to you." She bit back, throwing the data pad in front of him. He looked as though he was about to explode in a fury of words, but James raised a hand and cut him off. It seemed the two were arguing before she returned, from the annoyed look on James' face.

"Yes, you did do what we asked, and you did it well. Though Smith recommends we throw you out the airlock, I think you're a valuable resource, and you've defiantly proven yourself." He smiled lightly, slowly walking towards the exiting door. Crystal jogged and caught up with him, leaving Smith behind in his furious state. "We talked before you arrived, in case you're wondering." He said as they slid past some busy people.

"I noticed." Crystal replied curtly, her gaze looking around, hoping to remember this route if she got lost.

"You have to understand that Smith's just doing his job. It hard living in the galaxy these days, and criminals like you make it harder." She glared at the back of his head, but he took no heed to it. "He just watching his ass, and his possessions."

"Yeah, I get it, I understand. I don't like him, but I understand." She replied. He again turned down another corridor, making her utterly forget everything she hoped to remember. "Where are we going?"

"I had some crew clean out an old lab in which we don't use. I think it'll be a perfect set-up."

"Can I ask why you don't use it?"

"There was an accident a few years back, experiment gone bad. Whole science team was infected with an air borne virus, and it killed them within days." Her jaw dropped at this, but he continued talking before she could. "No one went down there for a while, and eventually, we forgot about it completely. It only just crossed my mind some days ago."

"Well, is the virus gone?" She asked, her voice strained slightly.

"Of course, of course. Just, don't open any containers." He turned his head slightly, and chuckled at the sight of her face. "I kid, I kid, the whole place has been decontaminated several times, and we've checked every nook and cranny. It's safe." A huff of relief left her throat, and after some minutes of silence, they entered an old looking elevated. The buttons looked ancient, like those from the old Earth movies. He pressed one of the many, and it groaned as it started to slowly descend. After a few seconds, the doors opened again to reveal a large empty space, with literally nothing but metal walls. She was stunned at the space, but even more surprised that they hadn't used it for so long.

"I thought it would at least have some couches?" Her hands rubbed her temple as she examined the place more thoroughly. The room was dark, silent and looked dusty, with a metal floor, roof and walls. It wasn't the most homely looking place, and a cell looked like a luxury hotel compared to it.

"I'm sorry, but all the old furniture and equipment had to be spaced, it was too dangerous to try and reuse. If you're really desperate for something, maybe the hanger has some spare lounges, but other than that, there's your cot." She nodded, though not to happy with the reply she received. "This isn't some luxury cruiser; every credit is spent on better weapons and equipment... Get some rest, tomorrow we'll talk about building your team." And with that, James walked into the elevator again, and left. It was quiet in the large room, and her steps echoed through the floor. The place was too quiet, too empty for her liking. The dust made her eyes water, the dirt sunk into her pores and the atmosphere made her edgy. The whole place was huge, and half of it she couldn't see from the dark. Her Omni-tool flicked to life, and she tapped into the lighting system, hoping to turn them on. Thankfully, they did, though some flickered out and died, and the rest were very dim. Now, she could see the particles floating through the air, and suddenly, a sneeze pushed out her lungs. A few key types and she started a scan, checking the room for any hidden surprises. Besides the emergency stair well hidden in the corner, nothing else was there. After some moments of staring into space, she turned back to the elevator and made her way up. It creaked and groaned, but pulled her to her destination. She stumbled out and backtracked as far as possible, before she found the room that contained her case. With her gun strapped to her back the whole time, she forgot its weight somehow and forgot to put it away. With a sigh, she walked into the empty room and carefully pulled the sniper off her back. She rubbed any spots off while she walked to the familiar case, and softly placed the weapon inside, along with her visor. A clean outfit sat in her case, so she grabbed it and walked to the showers, somewhat glad that no one was there. Her suit was difficult to take off, but after years of practice, it was a lot easier and faster. She released her hair from its complicated bun, and quickly slipped into a shower stall. The hot water drilled into her skin, making her recoil from the heat for a second. Its temperature quickly changed to what she desired, and so now she stood. She was starting to slowly hate the place. Every time she closed her eyes, their soulless faces appeared, and the others and that damn pilots. Pretending like she didn't care was something she was good at, that way, her enemies didn't know what to and not to kill. But when she's alone, with only her thoughts filling her head, it sent her mad. With grief, anger, hatred, betrayal, sadness, any emotion that would slowly gnaw at you until you finally lost it and murder several people. But sometimes the faces were smiling, though not often, and when they did, she'd grin like a little girl with a crush. Her lids stayed heavy as she scrubbed the dirt and blood off her skin and out of her hair. After sometime, she changed and made her way to the hanger, hoping to find something usable. Everyone was either gone or making their way to some place, she heard some talk about a mess hall somewhere. Her brain thought she should look for some objects to use, but her stomach disagreed. It growled louder and louder as she walked closer to the hanger, so instead, she turned and looked for a hot meal. After some searching, she thankfully bumped into a familiar face.

"Hey Shalnq." She said, making him turn slightly, probably accepting her presence.

"Hello Miss Winters." He replied, nodding his head, but turning back to what he was doing. It looked like he was doing some intense typing, so she took a step back.

"Sorry, didn't realize you were busy. I'll leave you be."

"Wait, I'll just be a minute." She smiled as she returned to where she stood.

"What are you doing?"

"Finalising this report, I'm almost finished."

"Take your time." He nodded, and then returned his attention to the screen in front of him. His fingers worked almost as quickly as hers, and she started to get dizzy just by watching them. "Can I ask about this report?" He didn't respond, and instead continued to type for some seconds before he turned with a blank expression.

"You can ask, but I cannot answer." It seemed he was finished, as the screen disappeared and he waved for her to follow him.

"Right, top secret and all that jazz." He turned slightly and regarded her with a raise brow. "Human expression, but where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to the mess hall. I could hear your stomach once you entered the room." She smiled a Cheshire cat grin, and continued to follow. The further they went, the more people they seemed to encounter and the nosier the place sounded. Finally, they entered the room with the most commotion. The hall was huge, obviously designed to house many aliens and humans alike. Several Turians sat together with their dextro-amino partners, the Quarian, or with Asari and Salarians. She spotted some Krogan at a table by themselves, obviously preceding solitude. But the place was manly filled with humans, male or female, tall or short, white or black, they were there. Her eyes widened slightly as she turned to her Drell companion. He smiled at her wide eyed look, and continued walking. A lot of people turned to look at her, and she tried to watch them all in return.

"I'm guessing news spreads quickly here?" She whispered as she caught up with Shalnq. He nodded as he sat down at a plain metal table, gesturing for her to sit next to him. She did, and watched as he replied.

"This people are well disciplined and have hardly turned to law breaking. They seem uneasy in the presence of a criminal." He said, as he folded his hands together and straightened his posture.

"It's not like I'm a murderer, I didn't break that many laws... I think." She replied, crossing her legs and arms in an angry way.

"You cannot blame them for their ill trust. We fight to bring people like you down every day."

"About that." She said, her eyes turning cold as she looked at him. "What the hell is this place? Where am I? It's like I'm playing twenty questions, except I don't get to ask." He looked down at his folded hands, moving them ever so slight, perhaps a nervous twitch of some sort?

"I apologise, but if Captain James has no told you, then I don't believe I can. Forgive me." She sighed, very dramatically, before she stood.

"Don't worry about it; I'm just going to get something to eat." He nodded his acknowledgment, so she made her way to one of the food counters. Many humans were lined up for their meal, with some talking while they slowly shuffled along. She was tempted to persuade someone to let her cut, but she really couldn't be bothered dealing with their stares and curious looks. It was almost comical, with the meter wide barrier they had created around here. Suddenly, she was knocked to the side slightly by a small figure that seemed to be in quiet the rush.

"Eh, I'm sorry!" They replied, or she did, as her voice was a clear indicator of her gender. And when Crystal regained her balance, she also noticed a visor and skin tight suit. Quarian.

"It's alright, just be careful next time." She had to admit, the Quarian was cute, and with the way she ringed her fingers and shuffled on her feet.

"Yes, of course! Sorry..." She replied, before turning around and looking. "I, uh, got to go. Goodbye!" And with that, she quickly rushed away again, leaving a path of where she ploughed her way through the crowd. Crystal raised a brow as she moved back into the line, rubbing her bare arm.

_That was... Weird._

After a minute or two of waiting, she finally received her meal of what looked to be soggy cardboard and artificial vegetables. With a disappointed frown, she made her way back to the table where Shalnq sat and noticed he too seemed to have a meal. Though, his looked a lot more edible.

"If I knew months back that I would have to be eating mud and moss, I would've hidden myself better." She grumbled as she sat back down. Shalnq looked almost satisfied that she had to eat crap. Almost.

"Perhaps this road will show you how much you had before you lost it." She froze, and slowly slid her gaze towards him. He didn't seem to hold any hidden knowledge in his dark eyes, so she assumed it was just his choice of words that made her rigid.

"Maybe." She grumbled, and slowly took a tiny bite of the soggy cardboard. It tasted like... Nothing. She chewed, not at all enthusiastically, but she ate the meal. They sat in silence as they ate, only the sounds of others conversations could be heard. Most related to the deranged criminal aboard the station, in which she ignored, and some where about the new apparent team that was being built. She smiled smugly.

_Oh the irony._

With her final bite, she dropped the fork loudly into the bowl, and stretched. Her joints all popped and grounded, and a yawn escaped from her mouth as she relaxed. The food might've been tasteless, but her stomach was full nonetheless. She could feel Shalnq watching her from the movement she made, but she didn't bother to look back, instead really drink in the sights. A lot of people had left, mostly the humans, probably because of the rest they needed. With more humans disappearing, she was able to see some Batarians at the back of the hall. They all looked quiet shady, but she probably did too. The metal walls were similar to those of her new headquarters, dull and holding no real character. The floor was the same, as was the ceiling, though that had some ventilation that looked almost passable. Some people still whispered and pointed in her direction, but she instead turned and tried to converse with her Drell guide.

"Random question," she started, waiting for his attention to fall on her. Half of it already was, so he wasn't surprised when she opened her mouth. "Why are you helping me? Don't you have a reputation to uphold or something?" He seemed thoughtful for a minute, his scale's blue hue seemingly more vibrant in the bright light.

"Perhaps, but if one was to simply question me for who I spoke with, instead of who I was, shouldn't they be the one in question?" She raised both brows at him in question. "I do not intent to insult, but humans are... Strange to say the least."

"You can say that again." She chuckled.

"Straying away from the topic for a moment, your kind is unpredictable."

"How so?" He paused for some time, before replying in his vibrant voice.

"Take you, for example. A human renowned for her crimes as a thief. Though when I first saw you, I thought differently. You were kind, though a bit forward, and when you left, none of my valuables where gone." She laughed silently, turning her gaze towards some other part of the room. "I in fact didn't think the reports were true until I talked with Commander Smith. He did not seem... Pleased with your presence." Her smile faded slowly. "I do not know why you are here, but I trust Captain James' judgement. And I trust that you are here for a reason, not just to cause a 'ruckus'." She nodded, returning her pale blue gaze to him.

"Thanks, for giving me a chance." She said, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. Shalnq smiled softly, before he stood.

"I apologise, but I am required early tomorrow. Perhaps I'll speak with you later." She nodded, and also stood, tucking her solid chair back into its place.

"Yeah, perhaps. Goodnight Shalnq." They shook hands, before he left in the direction they entered. Crystal simply stood for some time, thinking of what to do next. Another yawn escaped her mouth as she also walked towards the exit. Everyone else seemed too engaged in their conversations to notice her, which she was grateful for. The past couple days had been horrible, leaving her moody and depressed, but she tried to keep a happy persona. Some sick and evil part of was looking forward to a team again, a fresh start and the opportunity to make new friends, comrades. With one final look around the place, she exited the way she entered, and walked back towards her cell. She wasn't going to be sleeping down in 'her' headquarters just yet, and the quiet would most likely keep her up. She bumped into some people on her way back, and they either ignored her or apologised, but kept moving. She felt invisible now, lonely and unseen, like a shadow. She smiled at the familiarity.


	4. Update!

**-slowly creeps into view-**

**Ehehehe, please don't kill me!**

**Now, let me just start by saying I know how frustrating it is when authors do this, but any explanation is needed. **

**I'm so sorry to everybody for not updating my story for about a million years, but I have been dealing with some personal issues (that if you wish to know about, I may explain), that have for now resolved themselves. I love you all so much for being patient and not mailing me explosives. **

**Now, as you all probably know, there is a lot more Mass Effect 3 multi-player downloadable content then when I uploaded last, and for all those people who's original characters I am using, I am willing to take a rewrite of your character. Just with looks, abilities and weapons. I will send a message if your character has been selected. If you don't receive a message, but you sent in an OC, do not fret! I will try my hardest to include them in my story at least once or twice.**

**Thank all for your lovely messages, reviews and emails. They make me feel warm and fuzzy :3**

******Now, my lovely reviews, I must make up for lost time and write until my fingers implode!**

******:D**


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